Ultimate daily-driver Gen II A Body to build

I was just turning over some ideas in my so-called brain and was thinking about the new 2014 Mopar offerings, and wondering if there is an alternative to dropping $30,000.00 on a new car using a 1965 Valiant sedan and spending a lot less... How much would be up for discussion, to get a car that would perform in most instances, as well as a new Challenger in most important respects.

This would not be a cheap car to build, but would have a lot of gee-whiz, aftermarket hardware that could be included in its attempt to equal, or better, what is available in a new car these days.

I would welcome any and all comments and sugestions, keeping in mind that we have (in this dream-vehicle) $30,000.00 to spend... less, if we can get it done for that.

I am going to suggest a 1965 Valiant V-whatever, as a starting point. This has to be a pump-gas motor, with 400 flywheel horsepower as its goal.

That doesn't sound like much, but this car will only weigh 2,900 pounds, probably, and that's a whole lot less than the 4,200-pounds of a new Challeger. To equal that horsepower-per-pound, the Challenger would need 580 horsepower... a lot, on pump gas.

My personal choice for a power-plant for this project would be a turbocharged slant six, since it is readily obtainable, cheap to build, will easily make 400-horsepower on pump gas, and is lighter than any of the V-8 options, although, a 360 with aluminum heads and an aluminum intake would be close...

This engine should live forever on 12-pounds of boost, with a Snowperformance alcohol-water injector and a Spearco intercooler.

The transmission would be a 2.74:1 low gear Mopar, A-500 4-speed overdrive automatic transmission and a 3.23:1 rer axle ratio (giving a 2.58:1 final drive cruise ratio for the highway.)

The 8.25" unit is lighter and has less parasitic drag (and, is cheaper) than the 8.75" rear. The drop-out feature is not needed here, since the turbo'd slant six actually performs better with rear axle ratios in the 2's... go figure.

A 3,000-rpm Hughes converter and a carbon-fiber driveshaft would be nice...

We'll talk about the engine in the next installment. This is gonna be fun!!!! :)